Giardia Screening Test

"Get It When It's Hot .... Not When It's Not"

Birdsafe.com, in association with South Shores Pet Clinic, in San Pedro, California, and Avian and Exotic Animal Clinical Pathology Labs, in Redondo Beach, California, is offering a Giardia Screening Test. If your bird shows any of the symptoms of Giardia whatsoever, it is recommended you have the test run (it is our opinion that EVERY bird should be tested).  Of course, you can always have the tests run by your veterinarian. By offering a convenient mail-in test, bird owners can test their birds without the need of making a vet appointment.  We feel this is an important avian health issue, one that is being overlooked to some degree in the bird community, and we want to encourage bird owners to test their birds. The cost for a test kit is $5.00. (each additional kit in a shipment is $1.00).  This small fee covers shipping and handling charges.  Once you have received the kit and collected your samples, the fee to be sent in for the laboratory services is $40.

In each kit you will receive (3) fecal trichrome tubes; (3) "pooper scoops"; Information form for test; Instructions for test; and History Form

This test utilizes the fecal trichrome test for Giardia. We feel that by following the procedure for collecting fecal samples in the instructions, this test will provide the best possible chance of detecting the parasite.

There are three ways you can request the test kit:

1.  Call us at 1-540-338-0136 and request kit(s) and give us a credit card number for the $5 kit fee (first kit, $6 for two, $7 for three, etc.).  If you receive an answering message, please leave your name and phone number and we will return the call as soon as possible.

2.  Fax a request to 1-603-215-9275, giving full name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, and number of kits needed.  Once again include a credit card number and expiration date for the kit fee.

3. Order online: www.birdsafe.com/store.htm

Note:  All Credit Card payments will show up on your credit card statement as "Artech Services."

Once we receive the request, you should expect to receive the kit within 3 to 5 business days. Express delivery is available providing you call us with shipper account information.

Below are some photographs of the collection process for your reference. (Please note that these photos only represent ONE day's collection out of the three-day process referenced for this test. Each day of the three will go in a separate tube. We are convinced that this method of obtaining fecal samples from three mornings will show an increased diagnosis of Giardia.

Please note: Birdsafe.com receives no funds from the test fee (only for the kit shipping and handling fee).  These fees are used solely to reimburse the veterinarian office and the testing laboratory for their services. We are extremely grateful to South Shores Pet Clinic and Avian and Exotic Animal Clinical Pathology Labs for undertaking this project with us. With permission from users of the clinic, Birdsafe.com will be collecting data from this project and make the results available not only to the veterinary community but here on this site as well.